Game apparatus



25g W33 T. VAN STEENKISTE GAME APARATUs Filed March 9, l95l Ill! Patjaed Apr. 25, 1933' UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Application led March 9,

This invention relates to game apparatus and an object is the provision of apparatus of the character described which is capable of providing a wholesome source of amusement for players, and also apparatus which will require considerable skill on the part of the player before he can play the game with the present apparatus and make a fair score.

Another object is the provision of apparatus which is comparatively economical to manufacture and maintain. Y

Other objectswill appear hereinafter.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of what may be termed the alley and target holders of my device; for the purpose of illustration, one target is aiiixed to the center target holder;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3f-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the gaming missile which may be used with my apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the gaming missile;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the targets of my apparatus; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a target, which shows more particularly the manner in which it is afiiXed to a target holder.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the alley or runway 10, used in the present embodiment of my invention, is considerably longer than it is wide, and is concave in cross-section Jfor most of its length, and at its target end curves upwardly, as shown at 11, and is con` cave. At the highest portion of curved part 11, the target holders 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, are mounted; the target holders may be countersunk in curved part 11 so as to provide a smooth surface over the entire 5 Width of the alley. As Shown in Fig. i, the concave portion 10 of the alley is consi-den ably longer at its sides 21 and 22 than it is at the center 23; this arrangement has been made so as to effect a smoother junction of the parts 1() and 11, for part 11 is curved 1931. Serial N0. 521,224.

upwardly romthe concave part 10. `The alley may be constructed of wood or similar material. i

On each side of the alley. are provided guards 24 and 25, and at one side may be 55- provided'aJ missile return runway 26, which is adapted to return missiles by gravity to a player after an attendant has placedthe missilesl upon the runway. ,At the target end of the alley is provided bracing 27 to give 60 additional strength to the portion 11.

The target holders may be of varying lengths, and I have chosen `to make them shorter on the sides and increase their length 4 towardthe `center ofthe alley; thus holder 16 65 is longer than any of the others, and 12 and 20 are the shortest. These holders may be made of metal in the form oi prongs, with reduced portions at their free ends. As il- 'lustratedg in Figs. 6 and 7, target 28 may be 705 substantially square in cross-section, and considerably longer than it is inl cross-section. All of the targets may be of the same size, and all provided with thesame size target p holder sion 29. Y, Y The missile 30 used with my apparatus, may be made inthe form of a rustum of a cone, and provided with al circumferential metal ring 31; the missile may be made of wood or other material.

. In playing aV game using my apparatus, the player stands at the alley opposite from where thetargets are mounted, and attempts to dislodge a target from the target holders byrstriking it with missile 30. As is shown S0 in Fig. 3, the missile may pass lbetween two targets without touching either of them, and thus it will take a considerable amount of skill to dislodge the targets with any degree y of regularity. The preferable mode of pro- 9D `jecting the missile is to slide or skid it along the alley, rather than tocause it to proceed in bounces. Since the target mounted on holder 16 is the farthest removed from the player, and also from the curved part 11, it is probably the most diiiicult to dislodge, and, consequently, in scoring, the player may be given a score of two for dislodging a target from this holder; the scores for dislodging the rest of the targets may be estab- 100 lished as one. In competitive playing it is desirable to give each player the privilege of delivering five missiles before another player starts. Fifteen points may be considered a game, and the first one attaining this score, with a given number of missiles, may be declared the winner. Other scoring methods may, of course, be used if found desirable, and various rules may be adopted by players to suit their particular desires.

Changes may, of course, be made in the construction of the apparatus without departing from the scope of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details herein set forth, but wish to avail myself of variations which come within the spirit of my invention.

I'Iavingl thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In game apparatus, an alley having a transversely concave portion, a longitudinally concave portion at one of its ends, a target retaining member secured to said longitudinally concave portion and flush therewith, a target adapted to be retained by said target retaining member, and a gaming mis- Sile adapted to be used in dislodgin T said target from said target retaining mem er.

2. In game apparatus, an alley, an upwardly curved portion at one end of said alley, a plurality of target supporting prongs mounted upon the extremity of said upwardly curved portion, target members dislodgably mounted upon said prongs, and a gaming missile adapted to be used in dislodging said target members from said supporting prongs.

3. In game apparatus, an alley, an upwardly curved portion at one end of said alley, a plurality of target supporting prongs mounted upon the extremity of said upwardly curved portion, target' members dislodgably mounted upon said prongs, and a gaming missile adapted to be used in dislodging said target members from said supporting prongs, said alley being transversely concave for a substantial portion of its length.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

THEODORE VAN STEENKISTE. 

